The luxury yacht is arguably one of the most expensive things that the richest people can purchase. Not only is a yacht expensive, but it is also quite massive, so those that buy them would need to have a large dock, which is also pricey to rent or own.
If you want to own a luxury yacht, there are numerous processes that you need to go through with a shipbuilding company that specializes in building yachts. If you need to learn more about these processes, here are some details about how long it takes to build a custom luxury yacht.
The Planning and Design Processes
The designing of your custom luxury yacht will be the first process that you will encounter once you decide to own a personalized yacht. However, before you get into designing, you will obviously have to find the suitable shipbuilder that will make your dream yacht.
Choosing a Suitable Shipbuilder
There are dozens of yacht builders for you to choose from, but we always recommend that you hire the builder that is closer to your home so that you can have an easier and faster time to inspect how they built the yacht instead of looking at photos of the vessel that are sent to you via email or social media platforms.
Before deciding on which shipbuilder to choose, you will need to consider the following aspects of planning and designing your yacht:
- Material Costs
- Labor Costs
- Designing Costs
- Time Span for Building the Yacht
Shipbuilders will offer different costs and schedules for the said aspects, so find the one that will offer you a great design and construction plan while spending less money. But, if you do have plenty of money to spend on yachts, then you should get the best options or plans available so that you won’t skimp on different sections or parts of your dream yacht.
Designing the Yacht
Designing the yacht that you want would take time, as it would involve numerous meetings with the shipbuilder, where you will decide what can be added or removed from your initial design. Before you get into the first meeting with the shipbuilder, it is recommended that you already have a design in mind so that you can save time while also making it easier for the shipbuilder to imagine what you want.
Many people that want to have yachts would often focus on the exterior of the vessels first, but designing the interior is just as important as it will determine how spacious the yacht will feel. In addition to space, the interior can also determine how relaxing the yacht looks and how comfortable it is to be there, as the interior design includes furniture and other items that will make the vessel cozy for you and your guests. For designing the yacht’s interior and exterior, it would take approximately eight months to one year for the design process to be complete.
The Building Process
The building process takes much longer than designing the yacht, as it would take the shipbuilder three to four years to construct everything for the yacht, which includes the exterior, the interior, and the pieces of machinery and components needed for the vessel to move.
This process starts after the first cut of steel is made in the factory or shipyard. After cutting the first sheet of steel, there are several steps that are needed for the shipbuilder to take to build a yacht properly. Here are the steps followed by shipbuilders to construct a yacht:
- Constructing the keel or the bottom part of the yacht
- Building the hull
- Building and assembling the superstructure or the largest part of the yacht
- Combining the hull and the superstructure on top of the keel.
- Exterior outfitting
- Interior outfitting
Most of these steps are time-consuming, as even the painting of the yacht’s exterior can take about 1/3 of the overall build time for the vessel. Moreover, after they are done building the yacht, they would still have to perform tests and sea trials to ensure that the yacht is 100% safe to use. If you don’t want to wait years just to get a luxury yacht, you have the option to buy a yacht that is already built on speculation.
What is “built on speculation?” The answer is that it is a structure, vehicle, or vessel that is already built without an order from a customer. So, it is basically a product that is already made and can be purchased by a customer immediately if he or she desires to do so. However, because it is already built, not all of its specifications and design elements are suitable for your preferences, so you may just have to take it as it is or renovate its interior or exterior, which could also take a long time for shipbuilders to do.
If you are actually willing to wait for your dream yacht, then you could just choose the “build to order” option in purchasing a yacht from shipbuilders. But, keep in mind that made-to-order yachts are typically more expensive than those that are built on speculation, although the price depends on how simple or complex your yacht is.
The Delivery Process
Once the yacht is fully built and tested, it is the responsibility of the shipbuilder to deliver the yacht to you. If you are near the company’s shipyard, then it would just take days for you to receive the yacht. However, it will take weeks or months if you are living in another city or country. Be sure that you are ready to receive it once the yacht gets to your dock so that the crew of the shipbuilder won’t have to wait for hours or days in the sea.
These are the processes that you need to understand and learn before finding a shipbuilder that will build a yacht for you. Building something that is as large as a small house can take time, so you need to make sure that you are willing to wait for all of these processes to finish. The good thing about waiting for a long period of time is that it just gets you more excited to finally receive the yacht once it is delivered to you. So, be patient, and you will be rewarded with the yacht of your dreams.